Question on Stabilising...

OttawaEgg

Still a relative egg-virgin. I've only done about 4 meals - and two were steaks. Plus, I'm also a charcoal newbie, born and raised with a gas grill.

I know that to get the temp. stable, you shut the vents as it approaches the temp...

In my case (like most?) trying to get mr. eggie to hold at 250.

I shut the vents at around 200 - a sliver at the top, and about 1/2 inch at the bottom. Then wait (and have a sip). It gets pretty close - but then I open the lid, and put on whatever and I find I have to fiddle with the vents again to get it back to 250. Open em up a bit, then close. Am I doing this right?

Any tips there? Should I just leave the vents - cuz when I open, the temp drops.

"Sparky"

If your egg is stable at 250,and you open the dome to put something in,just close the dome.The egg will go back to 250,just give it a few minutes Don't mess with the vents,or you'll be chasing the temp all day :ohmy:

JPF

It will come back to the temp that you had it stabalized at. It will take some time to get back to the temp due to all the cold mass that was added. Don't adjust the vents. If it does not come back to exactly what temp you want in a reasonable amount of time you might have to adjust but make extremely small vent adjustments and give it time to change. It takes a little time to get the hang of it, but soon you will have a idea of what temp it will hold with what vent settings.

Mike in Abita

Once you have a set temp, just leave it alone. By opening the dome you are letting alot more air in and causing a temporary temp rise.

Unless, while opening, you accidentally affect the setting on the daisy wheel your temps will return to normal after it uses all that additional air.

Trust the EGG.

If the daisy flops around when you open the egg, you are not setting it up properly. Check out the link for help with that problem.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramicfaq.htm#dwsetting See number 37

gdenby

Once you have a stable fire with the air flow that gives you a dome temp you want, don't change anything after opening the dome. The change in temperature is caused by the extra inflow of air. The temperature will go back to what it was as soon as the extra air is used up. Usually just a few minutes, which is nothing during a 5 - 20 hr cook.

The only time you need to re-set the vents is if you have put on a big piece of cold meat that is absorbing lots of heat and may also be blocking the air flow somewhat. Open the vents if the temp drops for more than 30 minutes after adding the meat. Then, expect to damp down after a few hours as the meat heats and shrinks.

WessB

You are missing the whole point of "stabalized" and from what you just wrote, your egg was not yet stabilized...you do want to begin closing the vents as you approach your temp...but you ultimately want it to hold a given temp for 10 or 15 minutes with no further adjustments...( Stabilized ) and yes the temp is going to drop when you throw a cold piece of meat in there...but we already know the egg was stabilized at our desired temp...and it WILL get back to that temp with no extra adjustments because you have already limited the amount of air the fire can get. In my experience a 1/2" opening on the lower vent ( I'm assuming a large egg ) would give me around 350 to 400° way more of an opening than is needed for 250°...If in fact the egg is "stabilized" trust it and leave it alone..

OttawaEgg

Thanks for the tips!

Yeah, the question was just opening the egg to slap whatever on and getting the temp back to 250.

I will admit that it is hard NOT to peek - but I just sedate myself with a margartia I-V. :side:

stike

temp doesn't drop. your thermometer cools off. in fact, at 250, you are letting in an awful lot of air when you open the lid. so you see a cool thermometer, open vents. that extra air from the dome being open, plus the open vents, feeds the fire, which quickly overshoot.s

open, fiddle with the food, and close it. the temp will return to normal quickly if the vents haven't moved

Ripnem

This sounds like the solution to me. I think he be a little quick on the trigger.

OttawaEgg

Probably right about being "quick on the trigger".

Really though, I'm having no major problems (on the contrary!). I was just wondering about having to adjust the vents (as I WAS doing - but no more) after lifting the lid to slap on whatever.

I've only had my (now beloved - even by the wifie) egg for a week.

So far I've done:
ribs - oh so {expletive}ing good :P
steaks twice (eliciting the OMFG reaction from wifie) :ohmy:
Ham (see 1st ham on the egg post from yesterday / today)

Next up:
Wifie burgs (she makes the best patties). Pics and recipe later in the week.
Beer up the arse chicken.

Many thanks to all ! :cheer:

Ripnem

May want to try a "Spatchcock" side by side when you do the beer can chicken. For a true taste test. Either way it's a chicken cooking machine.

Oh the Wings....

I call a "Wing Night"

OttawaEgg

Ripnem wrote:

May want to try a "Spatchcock" side by side when you do the beer can chicken. For a true taste test. Either way it's a chicken cooking machine.

Oh the Wings....

I call a "Wing Night"

Oh the wings - a family favourite! I would normally use my oven, but I guess just slap them in a pan on the egg and use it as an oven?

Ripnem

Whatcha gonna do with the pan?

You can do them direct or indirect and cut them up or not, on the grate or hanging from wing racks. 400 or so till they get to about 190-200, usually 40-60 minutes with indirect and about 40 minutes direct. Shades of golden brown on those wings like you may not have ever seen. :woohoo:

OttawaEgg

Ripnem wrote:

Whatcha gonna do with the pan?

You can do them direct or indirect and cut them up or not, on the grate or hanging from wing racks. 400 or so till they get to about 190-200, usually 40-60 minutes with indirect and about 40 minutes direct. Shades of golden brown on those wings like you may not have ever seen. :woohoo:

I was thinking that I'd use a pan to put the wings on (or at least something for the drips??), and do them indirect, then toss em in hot sauce. I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to wings - I've been to the anchor bar :cheer:

Oh, and I like mine hot! :evil:

Cheers

JPF

Wings are a weekly thing around here. 350f to 400f raised grid direct flip them once cook around 40 mins or so. I like to soak them in low sodium soy sauce, then rub of liking and finish with 2 parts butter to 1 part franks red hot sauce.


so is spatchcocked chicken

and good beer can style too

Ripnem

Ya man! drip pan is good.

Ripnem

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

That's the stuff!

OttawaEgg

ok ok ! enough! I'm getting way too hungry! :woohoo:

man that looks GOOD !

Grandpas Grub

Use the lower vent to control the course temperature, the DFMT to fine tune.

With the bottom vent 1/2" open I can regulate as high as 500° on my large.

With a wider open bottom vent when you open the dome you can quickly build a fast draft and thus increase egg temperature pretty quickly. When you close the dome you have to fight to get the temperature back down again.

If you open the bottom vent 1/8" to control 250° when the dome is open there won't be such a rush of fresh air into the lump and there will be a less tendency to quickly overshoot your target temperature.

GG